Ted Cruz continued his assault Monday on rival Beto O'Rourke's remark there's 'nothing more American' than NFL players kneeling during the national anthem.

THE COLONY — Ted Cruz continued his assault Monday on rival Beto O'Rourke's remark that there's "nothing more American" than NFL players kneeling during the national anthem.

Cruz released an internet ad about it Monday and played the 30-second spot before a rally in The Colony with hundreds of supporters, who hung on every word.

"That is a view that is markedly out of step with the vast majority of Texans," Cruz said in a news conference after his speech. "We need to be respectful of our active-duty military. We need to be respectful of our veterans. We need to be respectful of law enforcement as well."

Retired Marine Sgt. Tim Lee, who is featured in the ad and lost both legs in the Vietnam War, also spoke at the rally.

"I gave two legs for this country. I'm not able to stand," Lee says in the ad. "But I sure expect you to stand for me when that national anthem is being played."

Cruz said most Texans accept the view that a person should stand during the national anthem.

"Protesting the national anthem and the flag, protesting law enforcement ... is inconsistent with where most Texans are," he said.

Cruz, the Republican incumbent, is in a tough race for re-election against O'Rourke, a Democratic congressman from El Paso.

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O'Rourke has barnstormed across Texas, telling Lone Star State voters that the state should lead the nation in solving problems like immigration, access to affordable health care, and criminal justice reform, among other issues.

Polls show him well within striking distance of Cruz, even though Texas is a conservative state and other Republican statewide candidates have big leads over their opponents.

At the rally, Cruz acknowledged the fight and pointed to what he called O'Rourke's far-left ideas as reasons conservatives should vote in November.

"Why would we muck it up?" Cruz asked, touting Republican tax cuts, Senate judicial confirmations and a stable economy under President Donald Trump. "Why would we mess with what's working in Texas?"

He also hit O'Rourke hard on the NFL protest issue. What began as an individual protest during the national anthem by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick spiraled across the league last season as more players began to kneel or conduct some form of protest against police violence.

The issue reached a zenith when Trump blasted the players for the protests.

"I can think of nothing more American than to peacefully stand up, or take a knee, for your rights, anytime, anywhere, in any place," O'Rourke said, drawing support from athletes and celebrities, including talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, NBA star LeBron James and former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner.

"I don't pay attention to what Senator Cruz is doing or not doing because I don't feel like I'm running against him," O'Rourke said. "I'm running for this country. For everyone in the state of Texas."

But Cruz was adamant Monday that O'Rourke's stand is against what Texans believe, and he likened kneeling during the anthem to a protester burning the flag.

"In Texas we believe in being respectful to the flag," Cruz said. "The Supreme Court says you have the right to burn the flag. I don't know if Beto O'Rourke thinks burning the flag is as American as anything he can think of."

5/5Quintin Williams holds a sign criticizing Congressman Beto O'Rourke during a campaign speech by Senator Ted Cruz at Lava Cantina in The Colony, Texas on Aug. 27, 2018. The band was called Foss, and the album was the El Paso Pussycats. The DWI arrest was in 1998.(Nathan Hunsinger / Staff Photographer)

Throughout his speech in The Colony, Cruz sought to motivate conservatives to vote in November to offset what he said would be record-setting Democratic Party turnout.

"The danger, I believe, is not if a bunch of conservatives suddenly wake up and vote Democrat," he said. "The danger is if too many of us stay home."

Gromer Jeffers Jr., political writer. The Howard University graduate and Chicago native has covered four presidential campaigns and written extensively about local, state and national politics. Before The News, he was a reporter at The Kansas City Star and The Chicago Defender. You can catch Gromer every Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on NBC 5's Lone Star Politics.